System and method for managing a floating window

1. A computer implemented method for managing overlapping windows on a computer screen of a computer system, said method comprising: intercepting by a hook filter an event directed to a target application, said hook filter intercepting the event before the event reaches the target application, an association of the hook filter with the event having been established prior to the occurrence of the event, the event being characterized by an overlapping condition in which a floating window partially or totally overlaps an active window on the computer screen, a software application being executed in the active window; responsive to said intercepting, detecting by the hook filter the overlapping condition; and responsive to said detecting, eliminating the overlapping condition to make the active window totally visible.

2. The method of claim 1 , said method comprising: recording parameters of the floating window in a table, said parameters prevailing upon said intercepting; after said eliminating and responsive to the active window becoming inactive, restoring the floating window on the computer screen in accordance with the recorded parameters; wherein the parameters comprise an overlap condition parameter, a hidden window parameter, window normal position parameters, and window escape parameters; wherein the overlap condition parameter is a Boolean variable equal to False if a working area and the floating window are disjoint and otherwise equal to True, subject to the working area being an area of the computer screen in which a user of the computer system is currently working; wherein the hidden window parameter is a Boolean variable equal to True if the floating window does not stand in its normal location and otherwise equal to or False; wherein the window normal position parameters specify the normal location of the floating window on the computer screen prevailing upon said intercepting; wherein the window escape position parameters specify an escape location on the computer screen to be subsequently occupied by the floating window if the overlap condition is True and if the floating window is not configured to slip to a neighboring location along a specified slip direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , said method comprising: detecting the event by an operating system that is executing on the computer system; and invoking the hook filter to execute said intercepting, said invoking being performed by the operating system by utilizing the association of the hook filter with the event.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein an operating system executing on the computer system maintains a single list that describes a window stack of windows on the computer screen, wherein the window stack is described in the list in accordance with a z-order of the windows on the computer screen such that the windows in the z-order are ordered along a z-axis that extends outward from the computer screen, wherein a topmost window at the top of the z-order overlaps all other windows in the z-order, wherein a window at the bottom of the z-order is overlapped by all other windows in the z-order, and wherein the z-order comprises the floating window and the active window.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlapping condition comprises the floating window overlapping a cursor on the active window.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said eliminating consists of moving the floating window.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the active window, and wherein the executing application consists of the software application.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the floating window.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event is a window event selected from the group consisting of an initialization of the floating window, a close of the floating window, a minimize of the floating window, a maximize of the floating window, a resize of the floating window, and a move of the floating window.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of a key event triggered by pressing a key on a keyboard that is coupled to the computer system and a mouse event triggered by moving a mouse that is coupled to the computer system.

11. A computer system comprising a processor and a computer readable storage medium, said storage medium containing instructions configured to be executed by the processor implement a method for managing overlapping windows on a computer screen of the computer system, said method comprising: intercepting by a hook filter an event directed to a target application, said hook filter intercepting the event before the event reaches the target application, an association of the hook filter with the event having been established prior to the occurrence of the event, the event being characterized by an overlapping condition in which a floating window partially or totally overlaps an active window on the computer screen, a software application being executed in the active window; responsive to said intercepting, detecting by the hook filter the overlapping condition; and responsive to said detecting, eliminating the overlapping condition to make the active window totally visible.

12. The computer system of claim 11 , said method comprising: recording parameters of the floating window, said parameters prevailing upon said intercepting; after said eliminating and responsive to the active window becoming inactive, restoring the floating window on the computer screen in accordance with the recorded parameters; wherein the parameters comprise an overlap condition parameter, a hidden window parameter, window normal position parameters, and window escape parameters; wherein the overlap condition parameter is a Boolean variable equal to False if a working area and the floating window are disjoint and otherwise equal to True, subject to the working area being an area of the computer screen in which a user of the computer system is currently working; wherein the hidden window parameter is a Boolean variable equal to True if the floating window does not stand in its normal location and otherwise equal to False; wherein the window normal position parameters specify the normal location of the floating window on the computer screen prevailing upon said intercepting; wherein the window escape position parameters specify an escape location on the computer screen to be subsequently occupied by the floating window if the overlap condition is True and if the floating window is not configured to slip to a neighboring location along a specified slip direction.

13. The computer system of claim 11 , said method comprising: detecting the event by an operating system that is executing on the computer system; and invoking the hook filter to execute said intercepting, said invoking being performed by the operating system by utilizing the association of the hook filter with the event.

14. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein an operating system executing on the computer system maintains a single list that describes a window stack of windows on the computer screen, wherein the window stack is described in the list in accordance with a z-order of the windows on the computer screen such that the windows in the z-order are ordered along a z-axis that extends outward from the computer screen, wherein a topmost window at the top of the z-order overlaps all other windows in the z-order, wherein a window at the bottom of the z-order is overlapped by all other windows in the z-order, and wherein the z-order comprises the floating window and the active window.

15. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the overlapping condition comprises the floating window overlapping a cursor on the active window.

16. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein said eliminating consists of moving the floating window.

17. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the active window, and wherein the executing application consists of the software application.

18. The computer system of claim 16 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the floating window.

19. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the event is a window event selected from the group consisting of an initialization of the floating window, a close of the floating window, a minimize of the floating window, a maximize of the floating window, a resize of the floating window, and a move of the floating window.

20. The computer system of claim 11 , wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of a key event triggered by pressing a key on a keyboard that is coupled to the computer system and a mouse event triggered by moving a mouse that is coupled to the computer system.

21. A computer program product, comprising a computer readable non-transitory storage medium having instructions stored therein, said instructions configured to implement a method for managing overlapping windows on a computer screen of a computer system, said method comprising: intercepting by a hook filter an event directed to a target application, said hook filter intercepting the event before the event reaches the target application, an association of the hook filter with the event having been established prior to the occurrence of the event, the event being characterized by an overlapping condition in which a floating window partially or totally overlaps an active window on the computer screen, a software application being executed in the active window; responsive to said intercepting, detecting by the hook filter the overlapping condition; and responsive to said detecting, eliminating the overlapping condition to make the active window totally visible.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 , said method comprising: recording parameters of the floating window in a table, said parameters prevailing upon said intercepting; after said eliminating and responsive to the active window becoming inactive, restoring the floating window on the computer screen in accordance with the recorded parameters; wherein the parameters comprise an overlap condition parameter, a hidden window parameter, window normal position parameters, and window escape parameters; wherein the overlap condition parameter is a Boolean variable equal to False if a working area and the floating window are disjoint and otherwise equal to True, subject to the working area being an area of the computer screen in which a user of the computer system is currently working; wherein the hidden window parameter is a Boolean variable equal to True if the floating window does not stand in its normal location and otherwise equal to False; wherein the window normal position parameters specify the normal location of the floating window on the computer screen prevailing upon said intercepting; wherein the window escape position parameters specify an escape location on the computer screen to be subsequently occupied by the floating window if the overlap condition is True and if the floating window is not configured to slip to a neighboring location along a specified slip direction.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 , said method comprising: detecting the event by an operating system that is executing on the computer system; and invoking the hook filter to execute said intercepting, said invoking being performed by the operating system by utilizing the association of the hook filter with the event.

24. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein an operating system executing on the computer system maintains a single list that describes a window stack of windows on the computer screen, wherein the window stack is described in the list in accordance with a z-order of the windows on the computer screen such that the windows in the z-order are ordered along a z-axis that extends outward from the computer screen, wherein a topmost window at the top of the z-order overlaps all other windows in the z-order, wherein a window at the bottom of the z-order is overlapped by all other windows in the z-order, and wherein the z-order comprises the floating window and the active window.

25. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the overlapping condition comprises the floating window overlapping a cursor on the active window.

26. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein said eliminating consists of moving the floating window.

27. The computer program product of claim 26 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the active window, and wherein the executing application consists of the software application.

28. The computer program of product claim 26 , wherein the action is dependent upon an executing application being executed within the floating window.

29. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the event is a window event selected from the group consisting of an initialization of the floating window, a close of the floating window, a minimize of the floating window, a maximize of the floating window, a resize of the floating window, and a move of the floating window.

30. The computer program product of claim 21 , wherein the event is selected from the group consisting of a key event triggered by pressing a key on a keyboard that is coupled to the computer system and a mouse event triggered by moving a mouse that is coupled to the computer system.